Suction-box for paper-machines.



" No. 723,257. .PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

H. FAIRBANKS.

SUCTION BOX FOR PAPER MACHINES. APPLIoATIoN FILED sBPT.12,`19o2.

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i H. PAIRBANKS.

SUGTION BOX FOR PAPER MACHINES.

APPLIoATIoN FILED SEPT. 12. 1902.

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Nb. 723,257. PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

' H. PAIRBANKS.

SUGTION B0X POR PAPER MACHINES.

APPLICATION PILED`SEPT.12, 1902.

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No. 723,257. PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

` H. I'AIRBANKS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1902.

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No. 723,257.- PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903. Y H; PAIRBANKS.

SUGTION B0X FOR- PAPER MACHINES APPLIOAflION FILED SEPT; 12, 1902.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @trice HENRY FAIRBANKS, OF ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT.

` SUCT|ONBOX` FOR PAPER-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 723,257. dated March24, 1903.

Application iiled SeptemberrlZ, 1902. Serial No. 123.124. (No model.) 4

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY FAIRBANKS, of

St. Johnsbury,in the county of Caledonia and State of Vermont, haveinvented certain new 5 and useful Improvements in Suction-Boxes forPaper-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a carrier supporting thetraveling Wire or felt apron of a paper-machine where it must be exposedto the pressure of the atmosphere and where inthe ordinary arrangement`it drags heavily across the open top of the suctionboxes into which thewateris drawn from the layer of wet pulp.` ,l

The object and the method of operation of the suction-boxes under theapron of the Fourdrinier paper-machine or of the wet ina.-` chine arewell known, and upon this apron there is usually'a pressure of betweenfty and one hundred pounds for every inch in width of the machine or ofseveral tons on the whole apron, which, being dragged under thispressure,.wears very rapidly, while the power required to carry itisexcessive.'

My present invention provides a mechanism which has the same effect asthough the top of the suction-box moved with the-pulpcarrying apron andwhile the exhaust action is exerted over the Wholevwidth of the machine,as in the ordinarysuction-box, yet reduces the amount of surfaceloadedby the unbalanced pressure of the iatmosphere to a narrow longitudinalopening, where the carrier connects with the suction-box below. Toaccomplish this, I connect the exhaust-pump with a long box runninglengthwise of the machine and midway between its sides, this box havinga long opening at the top and some width of fiat surface ou each side ofthis opening to secure an air-tight connection With'the carrier movingover it. This carrier consists of a series of long boxes reaching fromVside to side of the machine, each one perforated over its top, where thetraveling apron rests upon it, and otherwise closed,

l except at the bottomywhere is an opening registering with the openinginthe top of the These boxes of the carrierare hinged together, so as toform in their highest position a continuous plane surface perforatedthroughout, on which the traveling pulp-carrying apron rides withoutsliding, while the sliding motion under the unbalanced pressure of theatmosphere is limited to the area of their -contact with the top of thenarrow suction-box below. These boxes which make up this carrier aretted with elastic packing on their sides, so that the exhaust action ispractically continuous over the whole surface of contact with thepulploaded apron above, and there is very little leakage of air.

'Referring now to the drawings,. Figure l showsin side elevation anembodiment of my invention applied under the apron of a papermachine.Fig. 2 is a plan .view of the same with various parts broken away toshow the interior parts. Fig. 3 is a side View in section on the line x3m3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isl au end view, partly in section, on the vline:r4 :r4 of Fig. l. Fig. 5 shows in perspective a part of the travelingcarrier. Fig. G shows in perspective the suction-box detached.

" Inthe embodiment of my invention here illustrated, A indicates thesuction-box longitudinally under the center of the machine, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4and by dotted lines in Fig. 2. This suction box carriescrossbea'ms D D, sliding in tracks D D', allowing a slight Vcrosswisemovement as fthe bar d, which'connects these cross-beams, is carried bythe wavy grooves L L, which its ends engage Yin the rollers H H, overwhich the traveling carrier turns at the ends of its travel. This slightcrosswise -motion is sufficient to cause the top of the suction-box andthe connecting parts of the boxes of the carrier above to' wear at andnot in grooves, and the airtight connection will not be impaired. Theserollers l-I H are connected by the bevel-gears e' e on the shaft E andcarry the series of boxes with perforated tops forward in contact withthe wire apron and down and back underneath, as is clearly illustratedin Fig. 3, where, as also in Fig. 5, the hinged connection ff g g ofthese lboxes F F is shown. The drawings also illustrate .howtheropenings G G G in the bottoms of the boxes F F F register with the long.opening Cinthe'suction-box A, bringing their interiors into freecommunication with the exhausting apparatus through the conduit a, whichis arranged with a sliding joint to allow the slight cross- IOO wisemotion of the suction-box A already described. This snction-box A mayhave the opening in its top bridged across at K under the dandy-roll, ifit proves desirable.

It is clear that the exhaust through the conduit a, the suction-box A,and the boxes of the carrier F F F will act through the perforated uppersurfaces of these boxes and the wire apron over them upon the pulp layeras far as these boxes move in contact with the suction-box and that thesurface over which the exhaust action is exerted may be made very great,being limited vonly by the room which the construction of thepaper-machine allows under the wire apron, and as the atmosphericpressure causes friction between the "moving andlongitudinally-stationary parts only where the boxes of the carrierslide over the top of the suction-box below them and as this surface ofcontact is narrow it is apparent that the power required iscomparatively small, and this is communicated through the strong partsof the machine, and the traveling apron is relieved both of strain andthe wear of sliding.

While I regard the form here described as embodying my invention as thebest form, I would not limit myself absolutely to it in all itsdetails.'

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination with the traveling apron of a paper-making machineand a suction-box having openings narrower than the width of thepulp-bearing apron, of an endless carrier passing between and in contactwith this apron and this suction-box; said carrier composed of a seriesof boxes connected together by hinged joints, each box extending acrossthe width of the apron and having a foraminous top, and otherwise closedduring a part of its movement, except as it is in contact with the topof the said suction-box, as described.

2. In a paper-making machine, in combination, the traveling,pulp-bearing apron, the suction-box arranged lengthwise of the movementof this apron, and the endless traveling carrier interposed andestablishing connection between the apron and the suction-box, vthiscarrier made up of a series of boxes hinged together, these boxes havingforaminous tops and openings through their bottoms in position and sizeadapted to register with the opening in the top of the said suction-box,substantially as herein set forth.

3.- In a paper-making machine, an endless carrier composed of boxesreaching across the machine and hinged together, the series carried bytwo rollers, and forming in their highest position a continuoussupporting-sur face under the pulp-bearing apron, and adapted to movewith it, the top of each box being finely perforated, and the bottomhaving an opening registering with the opening in the top of asuction-box placed underneath, and connected with an exhaust, as and forthe purpose set forth.

4. In a paper-making machine, in combination with the pulp-carryingapron, an endless traveling carrier, composed of boxes hinged togetherwith suitable elastic packing between, the series carried by tworollers, and forming, when passing across the top, a plane supportingsurface under the said apron, and adapted to move with it, these boxeshaving finely-perforated tops and openings in their bottoms registeringwith the longitudinal opening in the top of a long suction-box, andtogether covering and closing that opening against the admission of air,

HENRY FAIRBANKS.

Witnesses:

FRED M. NEwooMB, MARION FAIRBANKS.

